Mullen And Barley Flare In Improved Conditions On Day Two Of Oakley Newport Beach Pro

NEWPORT BEACH, California (Wednesday, September 17, 2008) The second day of the Oakley Newport Beach Pro saw standout surfing from Macy Mullen (Mililani, HI), 28, Brett Barley (Outer Banks, NC), 18 and Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), 17, in Round 3. Today's top performers took advantage of the excellent two-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions on offer by posting the day's top scores. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 2-Star event running until Sunday of this week is the seventh of nine ASP WQS events held in North America.

The Oakley Newport Beach Pro and the Oakley Pro Junior represents the second stop on the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series. The miniseries contains three events for both ASP WQS and ASP North America Pro Junior competitors and offers an additional prize purse to the series winner at year's end.

Mullen earned the day's highest combined heat total of 16.83 out of a possible 20 point score by issuing explosive frontside turns on the lefthanders on offer at 56th street today. The Hawaiian showed poise in the beginning of his heat while waiting for a wave offering solid scoring potential.

"I got off to a really slow start," Mullen said. "I saw guys getting good ones and I just stayed patient. I was just trying to find a good one, but they were few and far between. As soon as I got one I knew I had to go big just to make it."

Mullen was the first to post big scores on the changing conditions on offer today. The increase in southerly swell offered a racy left breaking off the 56th street jetty, which suited the quick Hawaiian's surfing. The goofy-footer's fins-free turns were rewarded handsomely by the judges.

"The lefts are going really well," Mullen said. "They're really long and real quick and I think it suits my frontside. I'm just having fun with it and trying to do whatever I can do out there."

Mullen is hoping to issue a repeat performance in Round 4 tomorrow against the event's top seeds.

"I just want to keep going like I'm going right now," Mullen said. "One heat at a time."

Barley earned the day's highest single wave score of a 9.33 out of a possible 10 with a barrel off of the jetty, followed by several frontside hacks. The North Carolina native only had a small second score, but his first near perfect ride combined with his second score proved to be enough for the heat win.

"I had position for it, but I thought Wesley was going to sneak around me," Barley said. "I wasn't expecting to pull in, but it had this little bowl to it and it breaks a lot like home, so I kind of knew. I tucked in and got that little head dip and came out. I did that cutback and lost some speed, but I connected with the next section. I'm stoked that I got that one because I couldn't find anything to back it up."

Barley was a standout in the punchy surf on offer today. The East Coaster finds the Newport beachbreak is the closest thing to his home on the Outer Banks when he's surfing out West.

"I'd say Newport breaks like home more than anywhere else in California," Barley said. "It's more punchy and quick. Everywhere else is kind of slower, so any time I come here it's a lot more fun and it's easier for me to adjust."

Young took the confidence earned at his Billabong Pro Junior victory earlier this month into the Oakley Newport Beach Pro today. The prodigious goofy-footer posted some of the event's highest scores, with a 9.00 ride out of a possible 10 in his Round 3 heat. Young followed up with a solid second score of 6.33 for a combined heat total of 15.33 out of a possible 20.

"The surf is fun," Young said. "There were a lot of lefts coming in off of the jetty."

Young surfed against two other Santa Cruz surfers, Noi Kaulukukui (Santa Cruz, CA), 26 and Austin Smith-Ford (Santa Cruz, CA), 20 and proved to be the top surfer out of the Santa Cruz contingent in the Round 3 heat.

"I was really nervous because I lost first heat last year and I completely read my heat wrong last night," Young said. "I didn't really know how it was going to go out there."

Round 1 of the Oakley Pro Junior saw Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 20, in top form this afternoon. The explosive goofy-footer is fresh off of the European leg of the ASP WQS and his surfing was top-notch in Round 1 of the ASP Grade-2 event.

"It was a fun heat," Gudauskas said. "I had a free surf in my full suit and was all siked up. I've been traveling on the European leg of the 'QS and had a blast. I scored Mundaka and it was a really sick trip."

Gudauskas earned the wildcard for last year's Billabong ASP World Junior Championships as the top North American finisher under the age of 21 and posted a third place result. The youngest of the Gudauskas trio is on track for another wildcard appearance in this year's event.

"I'd love to get the wildcard again this year," Gudauskas said. "A lot of the other junior guys are doing well on the 'QS so it's going to be an exciting end to the season."